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Protesters called for Olympic organisers to sever their sponsorship agreement with Dow Chemical, as the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and LOCOG (London 2012 Organising Committee) held a press conference this morning.

They are against the deal, because of the company's links with an Indian industrial disaster in 1984.

An estimated 15,000 people died and tens of thousands were maimed when poisonous gas leaked from Bhopal's Union Carbide plant. Union Carbide was later bought by Dow Chemical.

But Dow has always maintained it did not own or operate the Bhopal plant and that legal claims regarding the gas leak were resolved when Union Carbide paid £303 million in compensation for those killed or injured.

Campaigners are angry about Dow Chemical's association with London 2012, because of the company's links with an Indian industrial disaster in 1984.

An estimated 15,000 people died and tens of thousands were maimed when poisonous gas leaked from Bhopal's Union Carbide plant.

Union Carbide was later bought by Dow Chemical.

Bhopal victims' rights groups say that allowing Dow to sponsor the £7m fabric wrap on the Olympic stadium would give undue publicity to a company that is refusing to clean up the toxic contamination of soil and groundwater.

But Dow has always maintained it did not own or operate the Bhopal plant and that legal claims regarding the gas leak were resolved when Union Carbide paid £303 million in compensation for those killed or injured.

Denis Oswald from the International Olympic Committee said: "We realise the tragedy that Bhopal was and we have a lot of sympathy for what happened but we know that Dow was not the owner of the company and they were not running the plant at the time of this accident.

"Since then they have been tested in court twice and it is why we feel comfortable about this relationship."